Play wall turns waiting moment into top moment

'How outdated is that play corner in the waiting room actually...' Yes, and once Lars Spelier saw that, he found them everywhere. As a freshly graduated account manager, Lars saw a gap in the market and decided to become business owner . In the column #startupsanddowns, he shares his experiences with you and tells you about the concrete advice from Poelmann van den Broek that allowed him to move on immediately.

At the doctor's office, the dentist's office, the car dealership, the municipality and hotels, children between the ages of three and 10 are expected to entertain themselves with a bead rack or blocks. No wonder they look for other challenges. Your phone, for example, when you just wanted to check NU.nl. Or your attention, while you are busy with an important purchase. As a 23-year-old Lars has no children of his own, but he immediately saw how he could make parents, children and business owners happy.

Freedom to become business owner

With a commercial education in his pocket, he knows the value of a positive customer experience. And with his creative mind, he immediately saw a number of options to turn a waiting moment into a top moment. Coincidentally, at the time he was faced with the choice of whether to take a permanent contract or take the liberty of becoming business owner . "I felt that if I didn't do it now, it would probably never happen again. So I went back to living with my parents, so I had financial leeway to take on this adventure. I have little to lose, except maybe a little ego," laughs Lars.

Includes device management

Thus was born Speelmuurtje, a sturdy column with a scratch-resistant 22-inch touchscreen. What's special about Speelmuurtje is that it has its own games. A deliberate choice, which betrays Lars' entrepreneurial nose. "That way we can very easily release a branded version. I'll just mention an example, something with hamsters." Another unique feature is that Play Wall comes with device management included. This allows Lars to centrally monitor how everything is working and remotely do updates so that the device keeps up with the times. The business owner pays a flat monthly fee and never has to glue torn Donald Ducks and wash Lego blocks again.

Startups and downs

Two years Lars has been at it now. That's both an up and a down for him. "The time that went into product development did disappoint me a bit. First of all, the housing. It really took some time before we had the ideal design for that. Developing the software for the device management and the games also took more time than I expected. But now we have an incredibly cool product. Everyone is very enthusiastic about it. That makes it worth all the effort and sweat over the past few years."

What about liability

Because Lars is based at StartUp Nijmegen, he was able to regularly spar with the former lawyer and Erik Jansen of Poelmann van den Broek, who is there as attorneys dedicated to helping young business owners . That provided valuable information. "What about liability, if you produce something for children. And if I offer Speelmuurtje via a lease, what do I have to pay attention to. Look, you can do some Googling, but then you know nothing for sure. Besides, I really liked the enthusiasm of the attorneys , that gives a nice energy."

Approaching the market

Asked for a tip for fellowbusiness owners , Lars doesn't have to think long. "It's a cliché, but you just have to get going. Jump into the deep end and accept that you will make mistakes, you will learn a lot from that. And talk a lot with experienced business owners, don't be afraid to ask for help." The next phase of his venture has arrived: approaching the market. "Corona time does offer some additional challenges in that regard," Lars said. "On the other hand, Speelmuurtje is of course much more hygienic than the old-fashioned play corners. So maybe the time is just right for it."

Poelmann van den Broek and StartUp Nijmegen

The column #startupsanddowns shows what Poelmann van den Broek can do for businesses in the nearby business incubator StartUp Nijmegen. Attorney-at-law On behalf of Poelmann van den Broek, entrepreneur Erik Jansen has committed himself to this by guiding business owners and holding regular consultation hours and sparring sessions. He does this out of personal interest and because he believes that young business owners deserve a flying start.